BLAST has confirmed dates for four Counter-Strike 2 events in the first half of 2028. The Danish tournament organizer also revealed that two more events are planned for the calendar year, with details on those to follow at a later stage.
Here is the confirmed BLAST 2028 schedule so far:
- BLAST Event #1: January 10 to 24
- BLAST Event #2: February 21 to March 6
- BLAST Event #3: April 3 to 17
- BLAST Event #4: May 1 to 15
- Two additional events: TBC
The announcement brings BLAST’s total commitment to 12 events across 2027 and 2028.
Three Out of Four Events Clash With Rival Tournaments
The scheduling gets tricky almost immediately. Three of the four confirmed BLAST events overlap with tournaments run by PGL and ESL.
BLAST’s January 10 to 24 window runs directly into PGL’s January 14 to 24 event. The February slot (February 21 to March 6) follows closely behind a PGL event scheduled for February 9 to 21. And in April, BLAST’s April 3 to 17 dates collide with ESL’s April 10 to 16 window.
Only BLAST Event #4 (May 1 to 15) currently sits without a direct scheduling conflict.
This means top CS2 teams will likely have to pick between tournament organizers for at least three of these windows, which could thin out the field at one event or the other.
Why the Overlaps Keep Happening
The scheduling conflicts are not exactly new. BLAST had already started adjusting its approach after PGL announced a massive $22 million commitment to its 2027 and 2028 circuit, placing four events in the same time slots as BLAST in 2027.
That pressure led BLAST to rework its 2027 structure. The organizer moved away from the Frequent Flyer programme, a system that previously penalized teams financially for skipping BLAST events. Under the new setup, teams can choose to sit out more BLAST tournaments without losing money.
The shift was widely seen as a response to BLAST’s declining leverage over top teams, who now have more options than ever across PGL, ESL, and BLAST circuits.
What This Means for the 2028 CS2 Calendar
With ESL’s full 2028 schedule still unknown and only partial details from PGL available, the picture is far from complete. But the pattern from 2027 is clearly carrying over into 2028: multiple organizers fighting for the same calendar windows, and teams caught in the middle.
BLAST’s decision to lock in 12 events across two years signals they are not backing down from the competition, even if they have had to make concessions on team flexibility.
For fans and teams, the hope is that these organizers eventually find a way to reduce overlap. But with limited calendar space, especially around Valve Regional Standings cutoffs, Major breaks, and player rest periods, clean scheduling is harder than it sounds. Everyone wants the best slots. Not everyone can have them.
